Combination lock



Dec. 20, 1949 SMITH 2,491,779

COMBINATION LOCK Filed April 2, 1947 INVENTOR. 17 03 E-K- SMITH La f yl/6.

pawl engages with the ratchet it rotates it a predetermined amount andthen turns in its mounting 30 against the pressure of the spring 3| tocause the pawl to disengage from the lever as indicated at 38 inFigure 1. Thus, further actuation of the lever will not actuate theratchet more than the predetermined amount. As soon as the actuatinglever is returned to its original position the spring 33 draws the leverback to its normal position and the spring 31 causes the pawl 29 toassume its normal position. Thus, each time that a pin 36 is actuatedits corresponding disc moves a predetermined increment.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the actuating surfaces of thefour levers are designed to lie in a cross-like configuration as seenfrom Figure 1 and the actuating pins 36 are all mounted on a plate 39.The plate 39 is slidably mounted within the guide channels 40'formed ina door 4| 'or the like, in which the lock is mounted.- A

cover plate 42 secured to the door 4| byrivets as at 43' has guidegrooves 44 formed therein to permit the projection of an actuating knob45. By actuating the knob 45 within the guide grooves 44 the pins 36 arecaused to actuate the levers.

The pins 33 are mounted in spaced apart relation on the plate 39 tonormally take up'the dotted line positions shown in Figure 1. When theyare in this position they each contact a separate arm 21 in its normalposition. To actuate the lock the plate 39 is actuated within its guides40 by moving the knob 45 from its normal position at the centre of thecross-like configurations formed by the guide grooves 44. Thus,

when the knob is moved in the guide groove 44*- the pins 33 will allmove from the dotted line positions to the solid line positions shown inFig. 1. It will be noted that only one of them operatively engages alever to ca'useits respective disc to rotate one notch of its ratchetwheel (shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 1). Similarly,

when the knob 45 is actuated in any of the other three grooves it willoperatively engage one of the-other levers to move that respective disca predetermined distance. It will be apparent that the disks I!) can berotated to a predetermined position such that a known number ofactuations will cause the notches H to align with the locking bar M tounlock the look by moving the knob 45 within the grooves 44.

In Fig. 4 I show a preferred type of locking disk. It comprises a disk lnotched as at ll in a somewhat similar manner to the disk H].

This disk, however, is not stamped'in one piece as is the disk It. It ismade from a thicker piece of metal and has a plurality of radiallyextending holes 46 in its circumference each adapted to receive a stoppeg H With this disk if it is desired to change the lock combination itis merely necessary to move the pin I! from-"one hole to another so thatit will require a different number of actuations of the lever to movethe diskfrom the reference position in which the pin is in contact withthe stop l8.

From the above, it will be apparent that I have disclosed a combinationlock which can be operated in the dark or by a blind person. The

' principal component parts of the lock can all be stamped thusproviding a lock which is cheap to manufacture. The lock is very ruggedand it can be made in a form in which it is possible to vary thecombination with a minimum of trouble. Changes and modifications in theform of the invention shownwill be apparent to those skilled in the artand it is therefore not intended that my invention should be limited tothe specific form shown. V

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a combination lock having a. plurality of .pivotally mountednotched discs, a locking bar designed to fall into the notches of thediscs when aligned for an unlocking position, a ratchet means for eachdisc, actuating means ,for causing incremental rotation of said discs 7member in a selective direction transversely of the pivotal axis of eachof said levers, certain of said levers being actuable by movement ofsaid actuating member in a diiierent selected direction than thedirection of movement of said member employed for actuation of certainother of said levers.

2. In a combination lock the combination claimed in claim 1 and a guidemeans determining the bounds of selective movement of said actuatingmember.

3. In a combination lock the combination claimed in claim 1 and a guidemeans determining the bounds of selective movement of said actuatingmember said bounds being a crosslike configuration.

4. In a combination lock having a housing, a plurality of notchedpivotally mounted discs,- a locking bar designed to fall into thenotches of said discs when said notches are aligned corresponding to anunlocking position and a ratchet means for each disc; actuatingme'ansfor causing incremental rotation of said discs when the notchesthereof are not engaged by saidf'l'ock- 'ing bar comprising; a pivotallymounted lever mounted adjacent each disc, a pawl extending from one freeend of each lever designed to engage the ratchet means of its adjacentdisc upon positive swinging movement of the corresponding lever, anactuating member slidably mounted relatively to said housing andmoveable 'in'a 'plane transverse to the axisof each lever,

means extending from said actuating memb'e'r -for -'-'selectiveengagement with each lever, spring means in connection with said leversfor biasing the same toward the means extending from said actuatingmember, said actuating member being moveable to cause swinging movementof-a selected lever by engagement of the means extending from saidactuating member with said selected lever and to provide incrementalrotation of its adjacent disc by engagement of it's associated pawl withits associated ratchet means.

ERNEST KER'I LAND SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED v 1 ';T

The following. references are of record in, the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

